SAUDI GOVT WARNS AGAINST ANYONE UNDERMINING SECURITY OF HAJ PILGRIMS

From Ahmad Kamil Tahir

MECCA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- The Council of Ministers has warned that Saudi
Arabia will not allow anyone to undermine the security and safety of pilgrims
during the upcoming Haj season beginning Nov 25.

It also warned against moves by certain quarters to create divisions among
Muslims and called on pilgrims to keep away from all activities that could
affect Haj security, Saudi Arabian English daily Arab News reported the Cabinet
as saying.

The weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by King Abdullah, the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques, urged pilgrims to make use of their valuable time in the holy
places to establish closer relations with God by engaging in worship, prayer and
meditation.

"Let there be no sexual relations, nor sin, nor dispute during the Haj," the
Cabinet said, quoting a verse from the Quran. The statement came after comments
made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an apparent move to politicise Haj.

Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy and Shoura Council president Abdullah Al-Asheikh
have denounced the move to undermine security during the annual pilgrimage.
They highlighted Saudi Arabia's efforts to improve facilities for pilgrims to
perform their rituals comfortably.

The Islamic Fiqh Academy also called on pilgrims to abide by the teachings
of Islam while performing the Haj rituals. "Pilgrims should feel the sacredness
of the place and time during their stay in the holy places," said its
secretary-general Abdussalam Al-Abadi.

He said pilgrims should not get involved in any activity that could disturb
the order of Haj, undermine its security and violate its peace and tranquility.

Meanwhile, as part of a drive to prevent the spread of swine flu, the
Ministry of Health will begin vaccinating local Haj pilgrims and workers in
Mecca and Madinah since the vaccine will be effective only 10 days after
vaccination.

The flu has affected 7,000 people in the Kingdom and caused 62 deaths.
On Monday, the ministry assigned 74 health centres in 18 governorates to
receive suspected swine flu patients until midnight every day.

Ziad Al-Memish, assistant deputy minister of health for preventive medicine
was reported as saying that mobile surveillance machines had been distributed to
health officials who work in the holy cities and that a Central Command Office
would be established to monitor the spread of the virus.

Vaccinations will be available to public and private sector workers as well
as to people who live in Mecca and Madinah.

Around two million pilgrims perform the Haj each year. In order to avoid
crowding during the pilgrimage, the Kingdom allows local pilgrims to perform Haj
only once every five years.
-- BERNAMA